HURLEY CROWNED ALL IRELAND CHAMPION 

A large contingent of West Cork people made the long journey to Westport in County Mayo this past weekend for the fourth and final series of All Irelands, supporting Don O’Driscoll from Drimoleague and Eoin Hurley from Kilronan, Dunmanway.

NO JOY FOR O'DRISCOLL IN ALL IRELAND SEMI FINAL

Don O’Driscoll in the Novice 2 semi final was the first score of the weekend, playing Chris Kiernan from London and Joe Sheridan from Connaught, no stake in this one. Sheridan was on the back foot from the off as he missed sight at the first bend at the monument. A poor second shot from O’Driscoll that Kiernan took full advantage of as he went full sight at the Stonewall bend in two more where he had a full bowl on Sheridan and almost a bowl on O’Driscoll. There was no let up from Kiernan as he was at the treatment plant in three more big shots. He had almost three bowls on Sheridan here and throwing his odds with a bowl on O’Driscoll, but Kiernan made a slip with his eight shot to Maguire’s entrance and O'Driscoll got a super bowl to Moran’s Lane knocking huge odds, hoping for another blunder from Kiernan that wasn't coming, O’Driscoll got another super bowl down the Oak Tree straight but Kiernan went sight for the netting in 2 more. O’Driscoll failed to make the long bend netting and Kiernan had almost a bowl of odds again, Sheridan was three bowls down now. Kiernan went out the last bend in two more where he now had a full bowl on O’Driscoll. There was a dramatic twist when Kiernan got a poor fourteenth shot in left but was still throwing his odds over twenty five meters. He beat the line in three more to win by a big last shot, that was disappointing for the strong Drimoleague following, in the second semi-final Mark O’Rourke, Armagh took victory from Brian Weimer North America and Timmy Cooney Leinster.

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Back in the road we had the first Junior C semi final between Anthony McVeigh Armagh playing Fergal Carr North America playing J.P.Clinton from Leinster. There was a stake of 3 x €500 as and €9000 between Carr and McVeigh. Carr took the honours here by a bowl over McVeigh and two bowls on Clinton. In the second Junior C semi-final Padraigh Nugent London took the victory from Christy Stokes Munster by the last shot, no stake in this one.

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In the first of the Novice 1 semi final Diarmuid Grimley Armagh had an easy victory over Florrie O’Mahony North America and David Hughes Connaught, no stake in this one.

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In the second semi final Eoin Hurley saved this one from the jaws of death when he beat Pat Callanan originally from the Pike but representing Leinster and Jeremiah Fitzpatrick originally from Rosscarbery but representing London. Callanan was absolutely cruising in this score, nothing separated them to the stone wall bend in three shots each with Callanan fore bowl by seven meters. Fitzpatrick missed sight looking down the hill in two more and was a bowl down. At the treatment plant Fitzpatrick took the lead on Hurley and Callanan was throwing his odds over both. Callanan got a massive bowl to Maguire’s entrance that raised the bowl on Hurley and Fitzpatrick. Hurley got a huge bowl to Moran’s Lane, that Fitzpatrick just beat and Callanan made his first slip of the score when he was too tight right, Callanan recovered with a super eight shot sight at the Oak Tree straight, Hurley just beat this and Fitzpatrick missed to fall a bowl down. Hurley got a smashing shot to the Oak Tree but missed sight for the big turn netting with his next. Callanan also missed sight and Fitzpatrick was looking down the hill after a massive shot. Hurley got an incredible twelfth shot to the big turn netting, Callanan’s eleventh shot cracked in right and Fitzpatrick took his first lead by two meters when he beat Hurley’s tip, another blunder from Callanan when his bowl went right and no sight, suddenly putting himself out of the score, Hurley got a good bowl to Mountbrown road and Fitzpatrick missed this he was very left and Hurley took his first lead of the score, Callanan missed sight for the last bend and was now out of the score, it was now a battle between Hurley and Fitzpatrick, both went out the last bend with their fifteenth shots with Hurley fore bowl by ten meters. Both got excellent shots up the rising road from here with Hurley’s margin back to three meters, Callanan was a bowl down at this point. Both missed the finish line with Hurley still fore bowl by eight meters, Fitzpatrick last was a touch left and fell left and Hurley beat this easily to advance to the final.

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All three finals were held on Sunday, first up we had the Novice 2 final between Mark O’Rourke (Armagh) playing Chris Kiernan originally from Armagh but representing London, there was a stake of €500 a-side. Kiernan was away back of his Saturday performance in this final. Four shots each to the stone wall bend where O’Rourke had ten meters of odds. O’Rourke upped his game from here and raised a bowl of odds at the treatment plant. He held this odds down the Oak Tree straight and raised another bowl on to Moran’s lane. Kiernan got a massive bowl to the long bend netting that knocked the two bowls of odds. O’Rourke went out the last bend in two and Kiernan had a “dead bowl” and was now almost three bowls out of it and conceded.

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CARR TAKES JUNIOR C TITLE BACK TO AMERICA

In the return final Fergal Carr originally from Armagh but representing North America played his near neighbour in Armagh Padraigh Nugent who hails from Armagh also but was representing London, they played for a stake of €6,350 a-side in this Junior C final. Both went out the first bend in three shots with Nugent taking all three and led by twenty meters. Carr took his first lead with a well-pitched out bowl past Mountbrown road, but Nugent was back in front by one meter after their shots out and around the netted bend. Carr got a couple of lucky rubs that took him into the hollow back of Moran’s lane and extended his lead to forty meters. Up the tough rising road Carr was the faster player, eleven and twelve shots past the double bungalows and Nugent was just keeping himself in this score. From the treatment plant Carr got the better play and led by almost a bowl at the stonewall bend, no more road to knock odds for Nugent and hands were shaken.

DUNMANWAY BOWLER SHOWS HIS CLASS IN NOVICE 1 TRIUMPH

The last and final score of the weekend involved Eoin Hurley from Kilronan representing Munster playing Diarmuid Grimley from Armagh for a fine stake of €10,850 a-side with Hurley carrying the favourites tag. Both missed sight at the monument in their first shots with Grimley fore bowl by thirty meters. Three more shots each out the stonewall bend with Grimley holding a ten meter lead. Hurley got a super fifth shot to the top of the hill that gave him his first lead of thirty meters as Grimley’s bowl hopped in right. He extended this to sixty meters at the treatment plant, but from here Grimley got an extraordinary bowl that cut the left bend and made the double bungalows, Hurley lofted his seventh shot way out, it looked buried left but escaped and went to within half a meter of Grimley’s tip just hind bowl. Both were right with their eight shots. Hurley got two huge bowls down the Oak Tree straight that gave him a hundred and fifty meter lead. Grimley replied with two huge and incredible shots to the netting on the long bend, looked like the lead back but Hurley got the most incredible rub off a pole that took him full sight for Mount Brown road, Grimley chanced a purlicue but it was too strong and went up left back of Mount Brown road. Hurley went out the last bend in two more where he now had almost a bowl of odds. Hurley finished off this score with a massive fifteenth shot just back of the line to win by a bowl of odds. His dad Johnny was an unlucky beaten finalist in this same championship, when he was beaten by Niall Smith in 2008 at the very same venue.

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KILCORNEY TAKE NOVICE TEAM ALL IRELAND 

The Novice Team All Irelands have now become a stable in the 4th series of All Irelands and were played out for the third year on Sunday morning in Aghagower. The Ballinacurra team of Martin Cronin, Chris Hayes and Brian Galvin set the pace for the others when they carded a score of 1518 meters with their ten shots, but coming along in the last group we had Kilcorney with Evan Murphy, Kevin Healy and Martin McSweeney who piped them with a score of 1560.2 meters to snatch the gold from Ballinacurra. The full result was 1st Kilcorney 1560.2 mt, 2nd Ballinacurra 1518 mt, 3rd Newtownhamilton 1464.8 mt, 4th Monaghan 1391 mt, 5th Berrings 1321.6 mt, 6th Aghagower 1320.4 mt, 7th Grenagh 1290.5 mt and 8th Waterford 1278 mt.